Tag Archives: Ron DeSantis

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A federal court granted a preliminary injunction against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its conditional sail order that has shut down the cruise industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has delayed that injunction for a month to let the CDC propose some changes. The CDC has been wrong all along, and they knew …

Fox News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Clemency Board granted pardons today for Floridians with lingering fines issued for violating mask mandates implemented by local governments. “This action is necessary so that we can recover, have a good transition to normal operations, and also just a recognition that a lot of this stuff was way, way overboard,” …

The Miami Herald reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis said today that Florida law-enforcement officers will go to Texas and Arizona to help with border control, as Florida continues to challenge the Biden administration in federal court about immigration enforcement. DeSantis’ announcement during a news conference in Pensacola came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sent a letter …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: As the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday labeled the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus a “variant of concern,” Gov. Ron DeSantis downplayed the potential impact it could have on the state. DeSantis avoided directly answering a reporter’s question about whether the state needs to do more to prepare for the …

ABC News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited a South Florida Jewish temple to denounce anti-Semitism and stand with Israel, as the Republican governor cloaked himself in religion Monday while signing a bill into law that would require public schools in his state to set aside at least one minute of silence for children to meditate or pray. “It’s something …

NBC News reports: The scientist who said she was fired by Gov. Ron DeSantis for refusing to censor Florida’s Covid-19 numbers said Tuesday she’s hoping to unseat another high-profile Republican politician in the state — Rep. Matt Gaetz. Rebekah Jones said the congressman, currently under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly paying an underage girl for sex, is vulnerable. …

Florida Politics reports: Twitter on Monday suspended Rebekah Jones, a former Department of Health data curator who made national headlines after being fired from the department for insubordination from its platform. While it is unclear why Twitter suspended the account, the social media giant typically sidelines accounts after they violate “Twitter rules.” The DeSantis administration released a statement applauding the …

The Miami Herald reports: Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to. In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Just days from the five-year remembrance of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub massacre, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed $150,000 in state funds that would have provided counseling for survivors — despite a budget that has $9.5 billion in reserves.  And in what advocates describe as “war” on LGBTQ+ Floridians, the governor also eliminated $750,000 approved by …

The New York Times reports: Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner, declared her candidacy for governor on Tuesday, casting herself as the Democratic Party’s best option to defeat Ron DeSantis, the popular Republican incumbent, given her role as the only statewide elected Democrat. “After two decades of Republican governors, it’s time to try something new,” Ms. Fried said in a brief …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1028 into law Tuesday, which bans transgender girls and women from playing on female school sports teams. The governor signed the bill, which includes the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, during a news conference at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville. Under the new law, a transgender student athlete would have …

Forbes reports: On a call with travel agents last Thursday, Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior VP of sales, trade support and service at Celebrity Cruises, discussed “the elephant in the room,” according a scoop in the unofficial Royal Caribbean Blog, which is not affiliated with the cruise line. The blog’s founder, Matt Hochberg, was not on the call but obtained an audio …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Speaking to reporters, the governor maintained that Florida won’t exempt cruise lines from a new law, which goes into effect July 1, that imposes a fine of $5,000 for each customer asked to provide proof of a coronavirus vaccination. “We are going to enforce Florida law,” DeSantis told reporters at the LifeScience Logistics Distribution Center in …

Click Orlando reports: Two technology organizations have joined together to sue Florida over the legislation targeting social media companies Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this week. NetChoice, a nonprofit, along with the Computer and Communications Industry Association filed suit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee. Under the new law that takes …

The Points Guy reports: In an emailed response on Thursday to questions from TPG, DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw suggested vaccine requirements for sailings that Celebrity Cruises announced Wednesday as part of a plan to restart cruising from Florida on June 26 are in violation of Florida law, and the line could face massive fines if it moves forward with …

West Palm Beach’s ABC News affiliate reports: Earlier in May, Norwegian announced it was considering suspending Florida departures, this was due to the governor’s ban on businesses requiring proof of vaccination. Gov. Ron DeSantis responded by saying the cruise line was free to leave and the new rule wouldn’t change. The company has decided to stay and announced that it …

Via press release from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 7072 to hold Big Tech accountable by driving transparency and safeguarding Floridians’ ability to access and participate in online platforms. “This session, we took action to ensure that ‘We the People’ — real Floridians across the Sunshine State — are guaranteed protection against the Silicon …

The Orlando Weekly reports: At a press conference on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the state “America’s West Berlin” while discussing the state’s lax response to the coronavirus pandemic. The state opened up for business prematurely, forced the end of local mask mandates before the majority of the state had been vaccinated and will end federal benefits early in …

From the right wing Washington Examiner: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will lead an effort to bar schools in his state from teaching critical race theory. “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” the Republican said of efforts to restructure education to be anti-white and anti-American. “The Florida Board of Education is meeting, and they are …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Florida consumers will save on hurricane and school supplies as well as concert tickets and outdoor gear under a $200 million bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday. DeSantis and lawmakers who pushed the new measure through the Legislature last month call it “Freedom Week,” and it will last from July 1-7. DeSantis signed the …